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Belugas are a veritable environmental symbol in Quebec. In fact, they were at the heart of the decision to create the marine park, and rightly so. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were at least 5,000 belugas in the St. Lawrence. Today, there are barely 1,000 left. Concrete conservation measures were needed. These measures were largely defined and put into action in 1995 as a result of a plan set up to restore the beluga population.
Beluga hunting long decimated the population, but the hunt is now a thing of the past. Measures have also been taken to stop the loss of natural habitats and reduce pollution in the St. Lawrence. However, there are now other factors that could threaten the restoration of our beluga population, including disturbance by whale watchers, merchant shipping and climatic change, particularly if their effect is combined.
By reducing toxic waste and respecting the living space of the belugas when we intrude upon their habitat, we can go a long way towards re-establishing this population at risk. If the beluga were ever to disappear from the St. Lawrence Estuary and Saguenay Fjord, it would truly be a great loss for nature… and indeed for us all. |
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